MN School Safety Center

Minnesota Department of Public SafetyDivision of Homeland Security and

Emergency Management

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• Established by Minnesota Legislature May 2013, (Chapter 86, article 1, sec 12); Re-establishment of MnSSC

• Serves K-12 Public, Private, Charter, and Tribal schools• Coordinates and collaborates with Minn. Department

of Education (MDE); School Safety Technical Assistance Center and Restorative Justice Program

• Housed within Minn. Department of Public Safety/ Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division

Minnesota School Safety Center

Minnesota School Safety Center Mission

• Serve as a resource to schools, law enforcement, public safety, emergency management and community partners.

• Provide information, guidance, training and technical assistance for best practices in all-hazard safety planning for schools.

• Coordinate prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery activities with federal, tribal, state and local partners

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Minnesota School Safety Center Staffing

• Three fulltime staff– Director– School Resource Officer (SRO) Coordinator– Safe School Assessment Coordinator– Emergency Planning Coordinator (vacant)

• Budget: ongoing appropriation of $405,000

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Minnesota School Safety Center Key Partners

Regional Educational CooperativesHigher Education Principal and Superintendent Licensing Programs

• Schools– Boards– Administrators– Staff

• Public Safety Agencies– Local– County– State– Tribal

• Professional Associations

• State Agencies– MN Dept. of Education– MN Dept. of Health– MN Dept. of Public Safety

– Office of Communications– State Fire Marshal Division– Bureau of Criminal

Apprehension– MN State Patrol– Office of Justice Programs

• Federal Agencies• Department of Homeland

Security• U.S. Dept. of Education• Other State School Safety Centers

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Minnesota School Safety Center Training

• Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools

• Threat Assessment• Active Shooter/Violent

Intruder Response• Lockdown with Options• Crisis Communications• De-Escalation Strategies• Access and Visitor Control

• Bomb Threat Response• Basic School Resource

Officer Course• Advanced SRO Strategies• Safe School Facility

Assessment• Tabletop Exercise

Strategies• Classroom Safety and

Security Best Practices

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MnSSC Program Delivery

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• Be present and walk with our schools and their safety partners

What we have learned…

• Each school and school district is unique – Facilities and population served– Public, private, charter, tribal– Partner resources

• Being a Non-Regulatory entity has been critical to our success• Relationships are essential• Statewide presence required• On-Site delivery is crucial

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School Resource Officer Training• Develop basic and advanced strategies School Resource Officer

curriculum.

• Coordinate active shooter/violent intruder training, emergency response, threat assessment, de-escalation strategies and bomb threat courses.

• Adolescent development and special needs

• Liaison to law enforcement agencies and SROs

• Development of SRO cohort learning groups

• Engage in emergency response exercises

• Publish SRO newsletter through BCA Fusion Center

• (Estimated 315 FT/PT SROs in MN; 158 of 448 Agencies)

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School Threat Assessments• Conduct training to school personnel and public safety

partners on threat assessment best practices.• Incorporate a 360 degree approach to threat

assessment processes.• Provide threat assessment instruments/toolkits.• “See Something, Say Something” culture.• Develop long- and short-term support for victims.

• Support reintegration strategies for returning students.

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Safe School Facility Assessments• Develop Safe School Facility Assessment Toolkit.• Distribute pre-facility assessment training video.• Conduct on-site Safe School Facility Assessment.• Provide train-the-trainer instruction for school facility

managers, administrative staff and public safety partners.

• Compile and share current best practices in security.

• Consult with school construction projects.

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Emergency Operations Planning• Provide multi-hazard school emergency operations

planning and training development courses (FEMA based).

• Conduct EOP/Crisis Plan reviews of current plans.

• Develop and support school exercises, drills, and current school safety best practices and procedures.

• Incorporate school EOP/Crisis Plan into greater community, county and state EOP.

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School Crisis Response Teams (119A.035)

• School Crisis Response Team development is under the Minn. Department of Education oversight.

• Provided MDE School Safety Technical Assistance Center resources and model programs.

• SWWC Crisis Response Team model is already functioning and in place in the SW Minnesota region.

• Currently, Minnesota schools provide these cooperative services on an informal basis, with public behavioral health partners.

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Questions?